Expert TA’s library of questions offers comprehensive coverage for the introductory physics sequence, including modern physics. Users also have access to every question from the OpenStax College Physics textbook, an additional 2,000.
Expert TA problems are designed to reinforce the problem solving process and require students to show their work, similar to the way they would on a typical exam. The majority of our problems are multi-step, require students to enter symbolic expressions and are complete with both hints and highly adaptive feedback. Expert TA also supports the algebra and calculus-based textbooks, complete with end of chapter problems and exercises alongside our comprehensive question bank.
Our library is full of symbolic questions—more than any other online system. Most instructors agree that symbolic expressions are a very important part of physics. So, in addition to numeric, multiple choice and other question types, Expert TA makes symbolic expressions more than 40 percent of our library. Our sophisticated grading algorithms are specifically designed to lend themselves to this type of problem. We have an easy entry palette that students love. We have “smart buttons” and we check syntax.
While online homework makes grading more manageable, many instructors feel that it is a compromised version of hand-written homework. Yes, students should solve for final numeric results, but most instructors agree that they should also deal with key symbolic relationships, and draw Free Body Diagrams when necessary. Emphasizing the problem solving process and including symbolic expressions has always been central to Expert TA’s online homework system. With the introduction of Expert TA's Free Body Diagram and Vector drawing environment in fall 2017, we've continued our mission to provide an online environment as close to working homework on paper as possible, with all the advantages of automated grading, data analytics, and real-time feedback.
